Another year, another book round up! I paced alright for most of the year. My strategy of not reserving Libby books has been successful, pushing me in favor of books that may take time but are what I really want to read while using murder and romance audiobooks to keep me awake on my commute.

Then I broke my arm and suddenly I had all the time in the world to read. I finished a whopping 64 books including the 960 page “The Running Grave”. We’ll start with the reviews of my favorites and dwindle to what’s left.

Best Book

My best book of the year was Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez. Recommended to me by a friend in the wake of my accident, I went with this book because it was $4.99 on Kindle and it dealt with Argentinian occult. Wow, what a read. Somewhat of a “One Hundred Years of Solitude” but with witches, Our Share of Night follows the story of Juan, a medium trying to protect his son from the darker forces of his life which killed his mother. Weaving in themes of colonialism, independence and revolution, the book is masterfully written and so intriguing you can’t put it down.

Other Highly Rated Books This Year

All Fours by Miranda July.

Everyone has been talking about this book and with good reason. All Fours so perfectly captures the life of an upper class woman in the throes of middle age. We’re angry and irritated but guilty we have no reason to be, trapped by our beautiful lives with our beautiful children and beautiful husbands, and oh wait! There actually is something wrong with us called hormones! Hilarious and hitting, I enjoyed every minute.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

I like Stuart Turton books a lot because you never know where you’ll end up. You start out in a familiar thriller territory “Oh no! There’s been a murder!” But you wind up somewhere completely different. It’s fun to have your expectations subverted in such a creative manner.

Honorable Mention

And now for the rest of the honorable mentions, recommended in a snippet.

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
Hedy Lamar married an Austrian warlord, escaped to become a Hollywood actress, then created the forerunner to Bluetooth. An interesting life to explore.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Klein
My collection of quote books from over the years is justified. Find things you like, and keep them for yourself!

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
Venice, girls and ghosts. Julia Fine creates beautiful period pieces.

Devotions by Mary Oliver
To have a good life, one should maximize time in nature as told through poetry.

Cosmos by Carl Sagan
The universe is big but small and we’ve come a long way, but we have much farther to go.

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley
Support groups often focus on partners and families, but so too do we need them for our friends. Told hilariously by the wry Sloane Crosley, don’t read if you don’t like dark humor.

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens
A teenage ghost from the middle ages haunts famous Gemini author George Sand and Chopin in Spain.

The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kieran
The Manhattan Project was built on the backs of women, although they certainly weren’t told so. The story of the girls who pioneered uranium enrichment.

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler
The title says it all -practical lessons from the Dalai Lama about how to be happy in life as told through the eyes of a therapist.

Never Whistle at Night by Various
Short stories of indigenous origins, perfect for spooky season.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
It won a Pulitzer Prize! Of course it’s gotta make the list! Short character pieces that together tell the story of a life, it’s definitely worth a read.